Here is certainly something you won’t hear of everyday. Often as a growing youth, you were probably posed the question by a parent, teacher, or religious figure the question of “what would you do if you found money on the ground?” Well, that hypothetical scenario certainly wouldn’t provide a simple answer to Waukesha resident Tammy Zyduck, who found herself coming across a check for $500… written twenty-six years ago.
Zyduck was running in late June along the Scuppernong Observation loop in Dousman when something peculiar caught her eye. According to the Oconomowoc Enterprise, she walked over to the loose paper check and simply assumed someone nearby had dropped it. When she picked it up however, she noticed something odd about this random check— it was written out to someone in 1998.
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The memo? “Mowing”, specifically mowing the grounds of the Apple Grove Cemetery.
“It was a few miles in the trail, you know. I looked down and it was just there — perfect,” Zyduck said to the Enterprise. “I assumed that the person dropped it the night before, and I thought, well, they might come back for it.”
Zyduck initially had never heard of the sender of the check though upon further inspection. Her husband discovered that the Apple Grove Cemetery Association, the sender of the check, was connected to the Apple Grove Lutheran Church in Argyle, Wisconsin, which had been destroyed by a tornado. Debris from the church had scattered, explaining how the check ended up near their trail. Zyduck found it remarkable that the check, in perfect condition, traveled nearly 100 miles to a visible spot in the thick woods, describing the find as coincidental yet intriguing, though she felt saddened by the church’s destruction.
“It sounds like it was a small community, and the church was very important. The fact that it was destroyed is very said,” Zyduck said.
After posting about her find on Facebook, Zyduck received comments from several people claiming to be relatives of the man who wrote the check, including Jeremy Mau, the check’s recipient, who used to mow the cemetery lawn.
“Jeremy, who the check is made out to, did say, ‘I remember that check, and I loved mowing the lawn there,’” Zyduck added.
Overwhelmed by the responses, Zyduck noted that Jeremy remembered the check fondly. Unsure what to do with the check, Zyduck mentioned she might keep it but would consider giving it to someone if it held significant sentimental value for them. She plans to connect with the interested parties over the next few days to decide.
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